Apache HTTP Server Version 1.3

Running Apache for Windows as a Service

Apache can be run as a service on Windows NT/2000. (There is
also some experimental support for similar behavior on
Windows 95/98, introduced with Apache
1.3.13).

Installing Apache as a service should only be done once you
can successfully run it in a console window. See Using Apache with Microsoft Windows
before you attempt to install or run Apache as a service.
Changes to the httpd.conf file should always be followed by
starting Apache as a console window. If this succeeds, the
service should succeed.

NOTE: Prior to version 1.3.13, the configuration was
not tested prior to performing the
installation, and a lack of service dependencies often
caused the console window to succeed, but the service would
still fail. See below if you are having
problems running a version of Apache prior to 1.3.13 to resolve
the issue. If you have this problem with version 1.3.13 or
greater, first try uninstalling (-u) and re-installing (-i) the
Apache service. Better yet, upgrade to the most recent version.

To start Apache as a service, you first need to install it
as a service. Multiple Apache services can be installed, each
with a different name and configuration. To install the default
Apache service named "Apache", choose the "Install as Service for
All Users" option when launching the Apache installation package.
Once this is done you can start the "Apache" service by opening
the Services window (in the Control Panel, hidden in "Administrative
Tools" on Windows 2000), selecting Apache, then clicking
on Start. Apache will now be running, hidden in the background.
You can later stop Apache by clicking on Stop. As an
alternative to using the Services window, you can start and
stop the "Apache" service from the command line with

Apache, unlike many other Windows NT/2000 services,
logs most errors to its own error.log file, in the logs folder
within the Apache server root folder. You will find few Apache
error details in the Windows NT Event Log. Only errors as
Apache attempts to start are captured in the Application Event
Log.

After starting Apache as a service (or if you have trouble
starting it) you can test it using the same procedure as for running in a
console window. Remember to use the command:

Note: The -n option to specify a service name is
only available with Apache 1.3.7 and later. Earlier
versions of Apache only support the default service name
'Apache'. Only version 1.3.21 supports Windows 2000 ability
to 'rename' the display name of a service.

You can install Apache as a Windows NT service as
follows:

apache -i -n "service name"

To install a service to use a particular configuration,
specify the configuration file when the service is
installed:

apache -i -n "service name" -f "\my server\conf\my.conf"

You can pass any other arguments, such as -d to change the
default server root directory, -D, -C or -c to change config
file processing, etc. Since these are stored in the registry
and are difficult to modify, use this command to clear the
options and replace them with a new list of options;

apache -k config -n "service name" -f "\my server\conf\my.conf"

To remove an Apache service, use:

apache -u -n "service name"

The default "service name", if one is not specified, is
"Apache".

Once a service is installed, you can use the -n
option, in conjunction with other options, to refer to a
service's configuration file. For example:

To test a service's configuration file and report the
default options for the service (configured with -i, -k install
or -k config) use:

apache -n "service name" -t

To start a console Apache using a service's configuration
file and its default options, use:

apache -n "service name"

Effective with Apache release 1.3.15, the -k install option
was added as an alias to -i, and the -k uninstall option was
added as an alias to -u. The original -i and -u options are
deprecated in Apache 2.0. These aliases were added to ease the
transition for administrators running both versions.

Prior to Apache release 1.3.13, the dependencies required to
successfully start an installed service were not configured.
After installing a service using earlier versions of Apache,
you must follow these steps:

Run regedt32
Select Window - "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine" from the menu
Double-click to open the SYSTEM, then the CurrentControlSet keys
Scroll down and click on the Apache servicename
Select Edit - Add Value... from the menu
Fill in the Add Value dialog with
Value Name: DependOnGroup
Data Type: REG_MULTI_SZ
and click OK
Leave the Multi-String Editor dialog empty and click OK
Select Edit - Add Value... from the menu
Fill in the Add Value dialog with
Value Name: DependOnService
Data Type: REG_MULTI_SZ
and click OK
Type the following list (one per line) in the Multi-String Editor dialog
Tcpip
Afd
and click OK

If you are using COM or DCOM components from a third party
module, ISAPI, or other add-in scripting technologies such as
ActiveState Perl, you may also need to add the entry Rpcss to
the DependOnService list. To avoid exposing the TCP port 135
when it is unnecessary, Apache does not create that entry upon
installation. Follow the directions above to find or create the
DependOnService value, double click that value if it already
exists, and add the Rpcss entry to the list.

Other installations may require additional dependencies.
If any files required at startup reside on a network drive, you
may need to first configure the service to depend on the network
redirector (usually lanmanworkstation) and follow the directions
below under the "User Account for Apache Service to Run As" section.

Attempting to use both IIS and Apache, on the same port but on
two different IP addresses may require the W3SVC (IIS) to start prior
to Apache, because IIS tries to glom onto all IP addresses (0.0.0.0)
as it starts, and will fail if Apache has already started on a
specific IP address.

Apache 1.3.21 introduces a MUCH simpler way to add a dependency.
The -W "servicename" argument modifies the -k install or -k config
commands to configure a dependency for Apache. Multiple -W arguments
may be given, but they should all occur after the -k option.
For example, to add the LanmanWorkstation dependency to an installed
"Apache" service, use this command:

apache -k config -n Apache -W LanmanWorkstation

User Account for Apache Service to Run As (NT/2000)

When Apache is first installed as a service (e.g. with the
-i option) it will run as user "System" (the LocalSystem
account). There should be few issues if all resources for the
web server reside on the local system, but it has broad
security privileges to affect the local machine!

LocalSystem is a very privileged account locally, so you
shouldn't run any shareware applications there. However, it
has no network privileges and cannot leave the machine via
any NT-secured mechanism, including file system, named pipes,
DCOM, or secure RPC.

NEVER grant network privileges to the SYSTEM
account! Create a new user account instead, grant the
appropriate privileges to that user, and use the 'Log On As:'
option. Select the Start Menu -> Settings -> Control
Panel -> Services -> apache service ... and click the
"Startup" button to access this setting.

A service that runs in the context of the LocalSystem account
inherits the security context of the SCM. It is not
associated with any logged-on user account and does not have
credentials (domain name, user name, and password) to be used
for verification.

The SYSTEM account has no privileges to the network, so
shared pages or a shared installation of Apache is invisible to
the service. If you intend to use any network
resources, the following steps should help:

Select Apache from the Control Panel's Service dialog and
click Startup.

Verify that the service account is correct. You may wish
to create an account for your Apache services.

Retype the password and password confirmation.

Go to User Manager for Domains.

Click on Policies from the title bar menu, and select
User Rights.

Select the option for Advanced User Rights.

In the drop-down list, verify that the following rights
have been granted to the selected account:

Act as part of the operating system

Back up files and directories

Log on as a service

Restore files and directories

Confirm that the selected account is a member of the
Users group.

Confirm the selected account has access to all document
and script directories (minimally read and browse
access).

Confirm the selected account has read/write/delete access
to the Apache logs directory!

If you allow the account to log in as a user, then you can
log in yourself and test that the account has the privileges to
execute the scripts, read the web pages, and that you can start
Apache in a console window. If this works, and you have
followed the steps above, Apache should execute as a service
with no problems.

Note: error code 2186 is a good indication
that you need to review the 'Log On As' configuration, since
the server can't access a required network resource.

When starting Apache as a service you may encounter an error
message from Windows service manager. For example if you try to
start Apache using the Services applet in Windows Control Panel
you may get the following message;

Could not start the apache service on \\COMPUTER
Error 1067; The process terminated unexpectedly.

You will get this error if there is any problem starting
Apache. In order to see what is causing the problem you should
follow the instructions for Testing
Apache at the Command Prompt.

Also, Apache 1.3.13 now records startup errors in the
Application Event Log under Windows NT/2000, if Apache is run
as a service. Run the Event Viewer and select Log ...
Application to see these events.

Check the Application Event Log with the Event
Viewer in case of any problems, even if no error message pops
up to warn you that an error occurred.

For the default "Apache" service, the -n Apache option is
still required, since the -k commands without the -n option are
directed at Apache running in a console window. The quotes are
only required if the service name contains spaces.

Note: the -k stop alias for the -k shutdown command
was introduced in Apache version 1.3.13. Earlier
versions of Apache will only recognize the -k shutdown option.
Prior to 1.3.3, Apache did not recognize any -k
options at all!

Note that you may specify startup options on the apache -k
start command line, including the -D, -C and -c options. These
affect the processing of the service configuration, and may be
used with an <IfDefine> block to conditionally process
directives. You may also override the server root path or
configuration file with the -d or -f options. The options
should also be passed to the -k restart command, but they are
ignored if the service is running, and only processed if the
service is started.

The service also appears in the Service Control applet on
Windows NT/2000. For NT, this is found in the Settings ->
Control Panel -> Services entry, and on 2000 it is found in
the Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools
-> Services entry. Here you can select the desired Apache
service to start or stop it. Pass additional options such as
-D, -C and -c, or override the default -d or -f options in the
Start Parameters box before clicking the Start button. These
options behave identically to the apache -k start command.

In addition, you can use the native Windows NT/2000 command
NET to start and stop Apache services:

NET START "service name"
NET STOP "service name"

Again, quotes are only required if the service name contains
spaces. There is no way using the NET START command to pass
additional options such as -D, -c or -C using the NET START
command. If options are required, use one of the other two
methods instead.

Note: The service options for Windows 95 and 98 are
only available with Apache 1.3.13 and later. Earlier
versions of Apache only supported Apache in a console window
for Windows 95/98.

There is some support for Apache on Windows 95/98 to behave
in a similar manner as a service on Windows NT/2000. It is
experimental, if it works (at all) the Apache
Software Foundation will not attest to its reliability or
future support. Proceed at your own risk!

Once you have confirmed that Apache runs correctly at the Command Prompt you can install,
control and uninstall it with the same commands as the Windows
NT/2000 version.

There are, however, significant differences that you should
note:

Apache will attempt to start and if successful it will run
in the background. If you run the command

Apache -n "service name" -k start

via a shortcut on your desktop, for example, then if the
service starts successfully a console window will flash up but
immediately disappears. If Apache detects any errors on startup
such as a incorrect entries in the httpd.conf file, then the
console window will remain visible. This may display an error
message which will be useful in tracking down the cause of the
problem, and you should also review the error.log file in the
Apache logs directory.

Windows 95/98 does not support NET START or NET STOP
commands so you must use Apache's Service Control options at a
command prompt. You may wish to set up a shortcut for each of
these commands so that you can just choose it from the start
menu or desktop to perform the required action.

Apache and Windows 95/98 offer no support for running the
Apache service as a specific user with network privileges. In
fact, Windows 95/98 offers no security on the local machine,
either. This is the simple reason that the Apache Software
Foundation never endorses the use of Windows 95/98 as a public
httpd server. These facilities exist only to assist the user in
developing web content and learning the Apache server, and
perhaps as a intranet server on a secured, private network.